Update 69: COVID-19 Pandemic in Alberta

Alberta’s COVID-19 hospitalization rates remain low with 59 people in hospital, six of whom are in intensive care. In total, 5,710 Albertans have recovered from COVID-19. Four more Albertans have died, all in Calgary continuing care facilities.

Supporting Alberta businesses through relaunch

The Alberta Biz Connect web page provides business owners with information on health and safety guidelines for general workplaces, and sector-specific guidelines for those able to open in stage one of relaunch.

Businesses and locations that are reopening can access a template on that web page to help plan how employees and patrons will be protected from the spread of infection.

Completion of this template is voluntary.

Next updates

The next media availability with the chief medical officer of health will be held on May 25.

Situation reports will continue to be distributed daily.

Alberta Connects hours of operation

The Alberta Connects Contact Centre (310-4455) has resumed normal operating hours and is available to Albertans Monday to Friday, from 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Albertans downloading tracer app

The ABTraceTogether app will enhance current manual contact tracing and capacity, and facilitate early detection to help reduce the spread of the virus and better protect Albertans. It means Albertans will be contacted more quickly if they are at risk.

Use of the app is voluntary; users must opt in.

The app does not track the user’s physical location and does not use GPS. Protecting privacy is paramount; all contact data is only on the user’s phone and is deleted after 21 days.

Secure contact tracing is a cornerstone of Alberta’s Relaunch Strategy. More information on the app, including links to download it, can be found online.

The app currently has 183,273 registered users.

Mental health supports

Confidential supports are available to help with mental health concerns. The Mental Health Help Line at 1-877-303-2642 and the Addiction Help Line at 1-866-332-2322 are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Canadian Mental Health Association has a variety of resources available at mentalhealthweek.ca.

The Kids Help Phone is available 24-7 and offers professional counselling, information and referrals and volunteer-led, text-based support to young people by texting CONNECT to 686868.

Family violence prevention

A 24-hour Family Violence Information Line is available at 310-1818 to get anonymous help in more than 170 languages.

Alberta’s One Line for Sexual Violence is available at 1-866-403-8000, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.

The requirement that people fleeing family violence apply in-person for an Emergency Protection Order (EPO) is temporarily suspended; provincial courts can now hear applications for EPOs via telecommunication.

Information sheets and other resources on family violence prevention are available at alberta.ca/COVID19.

Quick facts

The most important measure Albertans can take to prevent respiratory illnesses, including COVID-19, is to practise good hygiene.

This includes washing your hands regularly for at least 20 seconds, avoiding touching your face, coughing or sneezing into your elbow or sleeve, and disposing of tissues appropriately.

Anyone showing symptoms of COVID-19, including cough, fever, runny nose, sore throat or shortness of breath, is eligible for testing. To access testing, complete the COVID-19 self-assessment online. A separate self-assessment tool is available for health-care and shelter workers, enforcement and first responders. After completing the form, there is no need to call 811.

Albertans are asked to share acts of kindness they have experienced in their community during this difficult time by using the hashtag #AlbertaCares.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. We also have a Facebook Pixel installed to improve the quality of the ads we serve through Facebook. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok